NAIROBI (Kenya Times) It may be hard to believe, but nothing will move
them, because "Jesus" addressed them and assured them of a come-back, very
soon.

The scene was at the Church of Bethlehem, where Mary Sinaida Akatsa
conducts miracle prayers, praying for the sick, the blind, cripples, mad
people, the barren and others facing all sorts of personal problems. On
Saturday 4 June 1988 a big, bright star was sighted above the skies by
worshippers. It was unusually brighter than ordinary stars. The time was
1 p.m.

But on Saturday 11 June it was different. Worshipers were busy singing
Mungu ni Mwema, a popular Swahili hymn, when Mary Akatsa interjected. She
announced that God had spoken to her and told her to "await a miracle because
a very important guest would be coming to give her a very vital message."
People 'braced themselves for the unknown' while others stared blankly
at her, their mouths agape with awe and bewilderment.

Five minutes later, she asked those who were singing and dancing to
stop as the long-awaited message had arrived. "Jesus! Jesus! Jesus of Nazareth!"
went the loud whispers from the crowd as they raised up their hands in
submission and divine welcome.

The tall figure of a barefooted, white-robed and bearded man appeared
from nowhere and stood in the middle of the crowd. He was walking slowly
towards the new church building away from the tent. Mary walked with him,
side by side.

She tried to explain that 20 cripples had managed to walk again a few
minutes ago because of the day's blessings. But nobody, except perhaps
a few, heard this. They were busy talking to "The Lord". I looked at my
watch. It was 4.15 pm. Her voice was drowned by cries and loud moans of
"Jesus! Jesu. Yeeesu! You have come. Welcome Jeesus! Wash our sins. Help
us Jeesus!" For many, it was the last prayer. It appeared to them the "Son
of Man" had at last fulfilled His promise of coming back to earth. They
knelt down in emotional prayers in a frantic effort to save their souls
at the 11th hour. A man lying near to me urinated in his trousers. But
I stared back at the stranger in the meeting without blinking. Strange,
sporadic light wafted on top of his turbaned head, his feet and his entire
body.

The scene and mood of the worshipers reminded one of the Old Testament
times of the Tower of Babel when languages became "confused" (Genesis Chapter
11). Everyone was murmuring something. Others were flat on the ground weeping
uncontrollably in praise and worship, in total submission to the occasion.
Mama Akatsa appealed for calm. But it was difficult. The "Holy Spirit"
had descended. Yes, the vice and crime-infested slums of Kawangware had
been transformed into 'a holy ground'. The man whispered something to Akatsa
for about two minutes. She later informed the crowd that the strange man
would address them.

In clear Swahili, which had no traces of accent, the strange man announced
that the people of Kenya were blessed, especially those who had gathered
at the venue that afternoon. He said Mary had an important mission to unify
people of all races and tribes under the umbrella of God through Jesus.

"I implore you kindly to steadfastly hold on to your faith as the world
will be no more. We are nearing the time for the reign of heaven. But before
that I shall come back and bring a bucketful of blessings for all of you.
Please respect Mary as she is a true representative of 'The Most High'
", the man said and reminded the crowd to live to the teachings of the
Bible.

As the strange man was about to leave, two women left their seats and
surged forward to where the man and Mary stood. They advanced towards him
on their knees, tears streaming down their cheeks. "Shetani Rhihswaah!"
the man told the two, and down to the ground they went with a thud, as
the ancient Hebrew curse word sent echoes everywhere. The word was used
2,000 years ago to rebuke demons and evil spirits.

It took the crowd nearly 20 minutes to recover after the man left the
meeting in a car belonging to a Mr. Gurnam Singh, who offered to give him
a lift. But it will probably take Mr. Singh his lifetime to recover from
the shock he got two minutes later. On reaching the bus terminus for KBS
Route No 56, the man informed Mr. Singh to stop the car as he wanted to
alight and head for heaven. On getting out, he did not ascend. He walked
a few paces beside the road and simply vanished into thin air. Several
people who witnessed this were astonished by his mysterious disappearance.

A few minutes later, a worried Mr. Singh came back panting like a cross-channel
swimmer accompanied by a group of people from the bus stage, and narrated
the strange development. Mary assured the meeting that "Jesus" had gone
to heaven.

What baffled many was that Mary, while addressing the crowd in the presence
of the strange man, had said the light drizzle being experienced then was
to signify the presence of "Jesus". She had also announced that there would
be a heavy downpour later to signify that "Jesus" was back in his "Heavenly
Throne". And, as sure as hell, the rains came. There were floods all over
town that evening that caught people unawares. Later, many were reluctant
to leave the religious venue an had to be convinced to do so.

Back at Uhuru Park, Rev. Bonnke was promising thousands of worshippers
and millions of listeners during a live TV and radio transmission that
God had, on Thursday, informed him that they would experience the presence
of Jesus and great miracles on Saturday. Jesus did indeed come to Nairobi
but in a different venue.

There is always a 'resident' photographer at Mary Akatsa's meetings.
He takes snapshots of various episodes and later sells them to worshipers
at Shs10 each. In the past, when bright stars appeared in broad daylight
above Kawangware, there were only clouds and the blue sky in the photos
he had taken.

But this time, the photographer, known as Francis Kaburu, managed to
take about six snapshots of the strange man, successfully. It is alleged
that this may have been a hoax, after all. Already, reports have it that
the person cited was a "Jinn" or a mysterious spirit, hence his mysterious
disappearance.

But Mary Akatsa discounts this contention: "This was Our Lord. He promised
in the Bible to come back in different forms ... In any event he was born
of a woman and lived on earth", she said later. And the thousands who witnessed
the episode concur with her entirely.

Mr Tofias Onyango, a Nairobi lawyer, is currently busy writing a book
on Mary Akatsa's miracles. He was within the church compound when "Jesus"
came but inside a room 100 yards away from where the action was, preparing
his manuscript. "So far, the only thing I have been able to witness is
a bright star during daylight", he says, and laments that he missed the
"big miracle".